The hours leading up to the [Golden Star Festival] passed uneventfully, but tension loomed like a storm cloud over Alex, Alice, and Aurelia.
They stayed in the [Fox Tribe Village], waiting, resting and just enjoying themselves.
But despite the calm, Alex couldn’t shake an unsettling feeling gnawing at him.
“Why aren’t we going now?” Aurelia snapped as the festival timer ticked down to two hours.
She paced back and forth in the small clearing near Alera’s home, her [Shadow Control Daggers] gleaming in the sunlight.
“…” Alex remained silent, his expression distant as if he were lost in thought.
Aurelia huffed.
“You’re so stubborn sometimes! We could already be there preparing instead of just sitting around.”
Logically, they should have left for [Star City] already.
Every instinct screamed for him to move, to get ahead of whatever was about to unfold.
But he couldn’t shake the feeling that staying here until the last possible moment was the right decision, though he couldn’t explain why.
Ding!
[The Heart of Calamity advises you to be cautious.]
“I know,” Alex muttered under his breath, rubbing his temples.
That damned artifact wouldn’t stop nagging him, its warnings coming every few hours for some reason.
The artifact could clearly sense the malicious aura of the [Hatred Demon], a force that seemed to grow stronger or maybe approach them.
‘But it doesn’t make sense, it can’t be the hatred demon since I still have the two items they needed…’
Minutes crawled by, each second dragging like a lead weight.
By the time the timer hit one hour, the tension in the village was unbearable.
‘Screw it,’ Alex turned toward his friends, ready to leave and watch the festival from [Star City] as it started.
But just as he began to second-guess his decision, an ominous alert interrupted his thoughts.
Ding!
[Your undead army is warning you!]
Before Alex could react, a dozen undead stationed along the barrier perished instantly.
And In the same moment-
BAM! BAM!
Two earth-shaking impacts rocked the [Fox Tribe Village], shattering the protective barrier into shards of light.
Screams erupted as fox villagers fled in every direction.
“Shit!” Alex’s instincts kicked in. “CALL ALERA! EVERYONE, BACK UP!”
[Hatred is coming :)]
Alice was already in position, her [Divine Requiem of the Frost Angel] bow glowing as she scanned for threats.
Her pendant, the [Mutated Eye of the Spider], pulsed with power, but it couldn’t filter the chaos to find the source.
“There’s too much movement!” Alice yelled, frustrated. “I can’t pinpoint anything!”
“Triple Element Fox Summons!” Alex roared.
Six ethereal foxes materialized around him, their forms blazing with fire, rippling with water, and sparking with electricity.
“Find the threat and neutralize it!”
The foxes darted forward, but barely a minute later, a sharp rang out.
Ding! Ding!
[Your foxes have been slain!]
“What the hell?” Alex’s eyes widened.
Each summon had 50,000,000 health, yet they’d been obliterated instantly.
“Something this strong…”
He didn’t have time to finish the thought.
He motioned to Alice and Aurelia, “With me. Alera, Lilith, guard the villagers!”
The trio sprinted toward the source of the disturbance, the chaotic sounds of battle growing louder.
Alex’s grip on his staff tightened as dread pooled in his stomach.
When they arrived, the scene before them was worse than they’d imagined.
Daniel stood amidst the carnage, his form bathed in a crimson aura.
His claws, elongated and blackened with malevolent energy, dripped with fresh blood.
Around him lay the broken bodies of several fox tribe members.
Daniel crouched over a dying fox girl, his claws buried deep in her chest.
With a sickening crack, he pulled out her heart, her body going limp as he held the organ aloft like a trophy.
Splash!
Then he crushed it.
“Ahhh~” Daniel shuddered, his voice trembling with twisted delight. “This… this is perfect.”
[Time Left: 5 Hours 37 Minutes.]
He still had time to complete his quest.
His [Hatred Compass] pulsed in his hand, confirming he was in the right place.
Alex’s blood boiled at the sight.
‘I should’ve ended him back then,’ Alex thought bitterly.
His eyes narrowed, his staff already glowing, “Demonic Spear!”
The molten spear of hellfire materialized in an instant, its infernal power radiating waves of heat.
With a shout, Alex hurled it at Daniel.
But Daniel didn’t even flinch.
His [Hatred Claws] slashed through the spear mid-flight, shattering it into harmless fragments.
The explosion that followed rocked the ground, but Daniel emerged unscathed, a wicked grin plastered across his face.
“There you are,” Daniel said, his voice low and predatory, “I’ve been looking for you.”
“You bastard,” Alex growled.
How the hell did this weakling get so strong out of nowhere?
Ding!
[The Heart of Calamity advises you to be cautious. The hatred is close.]
And then it all clicked.
The [Hatred Demon] had chosen Daniel, granting him unimaginable strength.
This was a possibility that he had never imagined since the first time he saw the [Hatred Demon] was when he was going on a rampage, killing players left and right.
The fact he could link with someone probably meant Daniel’s hatred was so high that the demon sensed it.
Meaning that his target wasn’t just Alex, it was Aurelia, too.
“Undead, rise!” Alex shouted, summoning his army.
Dozens of skeletons, knights, and wraiths materialized around him in a wave of dark energy.
[+80 Skeletons, +13 Grand Skeletons, +4 Bony Knights, +3 Spectral Wraiths.]
“Hold him off!”
The undead charged, but Daniel was a blur.
His claws tore through them like paper, each swipe cutting down multiple enemies at once.
Within moments, Alex’s entire army was reduced to dust.
“This is insane,” Alex muttered, his pulse pounding.
He could summon more of these undead, but they wouldn’t do anything to this man now, even Alex knew it.
In fact, could he even beat him?
He had new items, an incredibly powerful skill and an armor that could tank up a lot of damage.
But before he could think of it anymore, Daniel lunged, his speed impossible to track.
“Back away!” Alex barked at the girls.
Alice and Aurelia hesitated, then retreated.
If he fell, they’d all die, that was something that was universally known in the village.
“Impenetrable Fortress!”
A shimmering barrier formed between Alex and Daniel, but it didn’t last long.
Daniel’s claws tore through the defense with a single swipe, shattering it.
Before Alex could react, Daniel’s claws slashed through his chest.
-58,362,995!
Alex’s vision went black as he collapsed, the pain overwhelming him.
Ding!
[You have been killed.]
[Blessing of the Fox Spirit has saved you.]
Alex gasped as his body reformed, the blessing sparing him from permanent death.
He kicked Daniel backward, buying himself precious seconds.
“You’re stronger than I expected,” Daniel admitted, licking the blood from his claws. “But this ends now. I’m going to kill you and my stupid sister.”
Alex’s eyes locked onto Daniel’s claws.
And the moment he did, his [Cursed Eyes of the King] activated, revealing the truth:
[Soul Attack! Danger!]
A crimson panel surrounded Alex, signaling that another fatal blow would spell permanent death.
If those claws hit him again, it would be over.
“This ends now,” Alex growled, gripping his staff and dagger tightly as he prepared for the battle.
The ground trembled as Daniel lunged once more, hatred fueling his every move.
[COME ON, CHILD!] the [Hatred Demon] roared within Daniel’s mind.
[The Hatred is here. Destroy it,] the [Heart of Calamity] whispered to Alex.
Both entities wanted their respective host to win.
“Let’s finish this.”